The Dogs Who Taught Me Everything

I'm not a veterinarian. I'm not a professional dog trainer. I'm just someone who keeps saying yes to the dogs most people walk past – the old ones, the blind ones, the deaf ones, the ones with grey muzzles and uncertain futures. And through them, I've learned more about love, patience, and what really matters than any qualification could ever teach me.

My journey with senior dogs began with Jesse Boy, who I had from eight weeks old and loved for sixteen beautiful years. Losing him nearly broke me. But then came Hamish – blind, deaf, sixteen years old, and supposedly at the end of his road. Everyone said I was mad to take him on. He lived to nineteen. Then Barney arrived, another sixteen-year-old whose elderly owner had passed away. He was hours from being euthanized simply because no one wanted an old dog. He also lived to nineteen. And two years ago, a deaf little dog named Teddy scaled a baby gate to get to me, made it crystal clear he wasn't leaving, and has been by my side ever since. He's seventeen now and still going strong.

Here's what I've learned through four dogs and over fifty-five combined years of loving them: senior dogs aren't a burden. They're not charity cases. They're not sad endings waiting to happen. They're wise, grateful, deeply loving souls who deserve every bit as much care and joy as the puppies everyone queues up to adopt. The thing is, most people don't know how to care for them properly – not because they don't want to, but because no one's shown them what actually works.

That's why BarkBlogs exists. I've stood in the garden at 2 AM with a blind dog who couldn't find his way back to the door. I've navigated dementia, mobility issues, special diets, and the gut-wrenching decision of knowing when it's time to let go. I've made mistakes, learned from them, and figured out what makes the difference between an old dog just surviving and an old dog truly thriving. And I want to share all of it with you – the practical stuff, the hard stuff, the beautiful stuff – so that your senior dog gets the life they deserve.

This isn't about perfection. It's about showing up. It's about small changes that make a massive difference. It's about giving the dogs who've given us everything a soft place to land in their final years. If you're caring for an aging dog, wondering if you're doing enough, or considering adopting a senior who needs you – you're in the right place. Welcome to BarkBlogs. Let's make sure these beautiful old souls get the love and care they've earned.